Sociology and Anthropology
- Degree Type Bachelor of Arts
- Department Sociology and Anthropology
- Academic Division The College
- Offerings Major
Sociology and Anthropology students are curious about how society and culture work and care deeply about solving social problems to make the world better.
Sociology and Anthropology
W&L offers one major with a concentration in either anthropology or sociology and an interdisciplinary minor in archaeology.
Our courses cover the following themes: archaeology and historical social science; gender, sexuality and human development; global cultures; health and society; identity and inequality; and politics, economics and culture.
Our classes feature a free-form style of learning where students apply readings to real-life situations and explore their own topics of interest. When working with peoples and cultures different from their own, students learn how to see the world from other perspectives. Students engage with theoretical perspectives and practical skills that are applicable to their lives. This mixture of topical and practical training prepares our graduates for entering a variety of graduate schools and careers.
Typically, students choose research methodologies that most match their interests, work closely with professors in the classroom and through independent research projects, and push the boundaries of their knowledge through study, travel and community engagement. Students have conducted research in places such as Appalachia, New York City, Western Europe, India, French Polynesia, Nepal, South Africa, Madagascar, Romania and Peru.
Campus Kitchen Announces 2024-25 Just Food Series
The annual event series examines the ways in which food systems interact with issues of social justice.
Masako Konishi to Deliver Lecture as Part of the Class of 1963 Scholars in Residence Program
Konishi, Chief Merchandising Officer at Forever 21, will deliver her talk on Sept. 25.
Cultivating a Community of Care
Through the Davis Projects for Peace Grant and a Fulbright ETA, Allie Stankewich ’23 is building relationships with the communities she serves in East Africa.
Kim is pursuing her Master of Public Policy at Duke University.
Five W&L Students Awarded Gilman Scholarships to Study Abroad
The Gilman Scholarship Program offers awards of up to $5,000 to U.S. undergraduate students who are Pell Grant recipients.
Washington and Lee Students Selected for Congressional Hunger Center Internships
Sai Chebrolu ’26 and Valentina Giraldo Lozano ’25 are among 13 students chosen for the Zero Hunger Internship program.
W&L students in the Spring Term course Global Urban Sociology are examining the social consequences of an increasingly urbanized world.
W&L’s Tanajia Moye-Green Among 2024 Class of Knight-Hennessy Scholars
Moye-Green ’23 is the university’s first Knight-Hennessy Scholar.
W&L Alumnus Benji Hess ’23 Earns U.S. Teaching Assistantship to Austria
Hess will teach English in Austria and prepare for a career as an educator.
W&L’s Michelle Morgan ’24 Earns Fulbright to North Macedonia
Morgan was selected for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to teach English in North Macedonia.
Students, faculty and alumni gathered April 12-13 to recognize the archaeological evolution of W&L’s back campus.
W&L Students to Host Archaeological Commemorative Event
The April 6 gathering marks the restoration of “The Foundation” on the university’s campus, originally part of the historic Liberty Hall Academy property.
Meet the Faculty
At W&L, students enjoy small classes and close relationships with professors who educate and nurture.
Jonathan Eastwood
Department Head, Sociology and Anthropology; Professor of Sociology
Professor Eastwood is a social theorist who also has a strong interest in quantitative methods. He teaches seminars on classical and contemporary theory as well as a series of courses that train students how to use quantitative and computational tools to answer sociological questions.
Alison Bell
Professor of Anthropology
- P: 540-458-8638
- E: bella@wlu.edu
Bell teaches courses on the anthropology of American history. Her research interests include historical archaeology, material culture, social stratification, and the 18th and 19th century in the eastern United States.
Rebecca Benefiel
Abigail Grigsby Urquhart Professor of Classics
Benefiel teaches classics and Latin courses such as Pompeii, Classics in a Digital Age, and The Poetry of Ovid. She studies Latin epigraphy, Roman social and cultural history, Latin literature and Roman archaeology.
Mauricio Betancourt
Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies
Betancourt teaches Intro to Environmental Studies, Environmental Sociology, and the Commodification of Nature. His research has focused on agroecology, nature-society interactions, imperialism, and unequal ecological exchange.
Lynn G. Chin
Associate Professor of Sociology
- P: 540-458-8791
- E: chinl@wlu.edu
Chin teaches courses on power and status, health and inequality, and other unique topics in sociology. Her research focuses on group processes and social psychology.
Donald Gaylord
Research Archaeologist and Instructor of Anthropology
- P: 540-458-8378
- E: gaylordd@wlu.edu
Gaylord teaches courses in archaeology including Field Methods in Archaeology and Discovering W&L’s Origins Using Historical Archaeology. He researches the anthropological analysis of property ownership and land use.
Sascha L. Goluboff
Professor of Cultural Anthropology
Goluboff teaches courses such as Food, Culture, and Society, and Gender and Sexuality. Her research focuses on the anthropology of emotion in a variety of geographic and historic contexts.
Melissa Gualtieri
Administrative Assistant
Serves as the Administrative Assistant for the Sociology and Anthropology Department, Education Studies Program, and Africana Studies Program.
Krzysztof Jasiewicz
William P. Ames Jr. Professor
Jasiewicz, a native of Poland, teaches courses in research methods, European politics and society, post-communist transitions, and peoples of Central Europe. He is the editor of the journal East European Politics and Societies.
Melissa R. Kerin
Professor of Art History
- P: 540-458-8858
- E: kerinm@wlu.edu
Kerin teaches courses in South Asian and East Asian art and architecture. Her research focuses on the intricate and multifaceted relationships between art and identity formation, cultural memory and religious praxis.
Michael Laughy
Boetsch Term Associate Professor of Classics and Department Head
- P: 540-458-4569
- E: laughym@wlu.edu
Laughy teaches courses in ancient Greek religion, history, art and archaeology. His research interests are Greek religion, Greek epigraphy and ancient Athens.
Harvey Markowitz
Professor Emeritus of Anthropology
Markowitz taught courses such as Lakota Land Culture, Economics and History. His courses drew from both anthropology and environmental studies. He has researched American Indians extensively.
Sue Ann McCarty
Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology and Anthropology
- P: 540-458-8775
- E: smccarty@wlu.edu
Marcos Perez
Assistant Professor of Sociology
- P: 540-458-8793
- E: mperez@wlu.edu
Perez teaches courses such as Revolutions and Revolutionaries and Poverty and Marginality in the Americas. His research interests include political sociology, urban studies, stratification and Latin American studies.
Dallas Tatman
Assistant Director of Fellowships and Visiting Instructor of Anthropology
- P: 540-458-4855
- E: dtatman@wlu.edu